Voldemort's Return
by valondon
Summary: What did Voldemort do right after his return and battle with Harry in the Goblet of Fire to remain hidden? How did he ensure that the wizarding world would remain ignorant to his return and eventual reign of terror? ONE-SHOT


The grave yard lit up with such a pure white light, that none could see. After less than even a second, the light had vanished again. It originated where the cup was lying on the ground earlier, but now it's gone. The cup, the boy, and the body, were all gone. As soon as this thought processed through the Dark Lord's head, he let out an ear piercing scream. Nothing was going according to plan.

The Dark Lord then growled with anger and threw a burst of pure magical energy at the tombstone of his father shattering it in pieces. His Death Eaters took a step back, not willing to get in the way of his anger, lest they be hit by a curse too.

Collecting his anger, the Dark Lord pushed it to the side of his mind then sealed it off from the rest of his mind; effectively isolating his anger, and therefore, allowing him to ignore it. He took several deep breaths to regain his composure and recover from the energy spent in the attack on the tombstone.

Looking at Lucius, the Dark Lord barked, "Lucius! Make yourself useful for once in your miserable life and go to the Minister and make sure he does not believe Potter about my return,"

Lucius bowed his head and muttered, "Yes my lord." A second later he was gone with a loud crack echoing in the grave yard.

The Dark Lord stared at his followers for a long second before uttering a single sentence, "Cover up my return." He watched as his Death Eaters vanished from the grave yard in almost perfect unison. Things had not gone according to plan, but no matter. He was after all Lord Voldemort, the most feared Dark Lord in history. He would make sure people feared his name again. Soon, but now is not the time. Now is the time to plan, and to weaken his enemies from the shadows. There was one person who, while incompetent, could still pose a threat if he decided to follow the old fool, Dumbledore. This man would have to be silenced.

Appearing again, the Dark Lord took a look around the room he was in. It was large and spacious, but lacking any homely comforts. The Dark Lord scoffed, he couldn't help himself, the emptiness of this house reflected the emptiness in politics. Deciding to sit down in a chair that was pushed into a corner, the Dark Lord waited.

Nearly an hour later, a flabbergasted Cornelius Fudge walked into his living room. He wanted to light a fire and just relax for the night. Dumbledore had finally gone off his rocker and declared that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named has returned. How utterly ridiculous. The self proclaimed Dark Lord had died thirteen years ago. No, this was all a call for attention from the deranged Potter boy. Then Dumbledore, ever the cunning wizard, saw a chance to back the boy and use him as a tool to usurp Fudge.

The Dark Lord eyed the Minister as he walked into his room. He watched as the politicians shoulder sagged as he began to relax. 'He wouldn't be relaxing for long,' the Dark Lord thought with a smirk plastered on his face. Or, at least as close to a smirk as Voldemort could get, for it would require some form of smiling, an act that has eluded the Dark Lord since he had learned that he was a wizard.

The Dark Lord stood up and hissed quietly, "Welcome home Minister. I'm sorry to intrude on your private evening but there is a delicate matter we must… discuss."

Fudge jumped with fright at the sound of the Dark Lord's voice, and when he finally turned around, his heart failed him. He took a step back and tripped over the carpet on the ground, falling backward he landed on his rather stiff couch. The Dark Lord gave a cold and humorless chuckle at the sight of this pathetic man toppled over on his back.

The chuckle ended just as quickly as it began. The Dark Lord once again hissed, and pointed his wand at the minister and yanked it up. Fudge flew up into the air and was suspended motionless as he stared at the Dark Lord with wide eyes.

The Dark Lord crossed the distance of the room to Fudge in one swift motion, staring into Fudge's eyes. He then proceeded to circle around the Minister, with an angry scowl plastered on his face as his red eyes glowed with contempt. Completing his circle, he once again stood in front of the Minister looking up into his eyes. The Dark Lord placed the tip of his wand against Fudge's neck. At that precise moment, Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic, wet himself.

The Dark Lord once again laughed the same cold and humorless laugh from earlier. He kept his wand against Fudge's neck as he started to speak, "Now Minister, I said we have and issue to discuss. You see, I have returned tonight, but none can know and none can believe the word of Albus Dumbledore and Harry Potter. So I have come to offer you a choice: either you join me and be my spokes person for the minister when the time comes, or I can confound you to act as if Dumbledore is mad and your enemy.

Now I know that you already believe that, but I didn't become the most feared wizard in history by not being cautious. So what shall it be Minister? Join me through free will, or be a pawn in my game and die when I take over?"

Cornelius gulped and shakily replied, "You… you… you'll kill me…"

The Dark Lord, try as he might, was not able to get anything else out of Fudge. Eyes once again glowing, only this time with frustration, the Dark Lord said, "Fine, so don't join me. I'll make sure of it that you don't remember this. Oh, and one last thing – refusal to join Lord Voldemort comes at a price."

The Dark Lord pointed his wand at the minister and created a deep cut in his chest which he let bleed out till Fudge passed out. Once the Minister was unconscious, Voldemort sealed the wound and performed a confundus charm on the Minister, along with a memory charm.

Now, the Dark Lord was in the clear to operate without opposition. With Dumbledore being thwarted by the Wizarding World's inept government, Voldemort was clear to do as he pleased. Lord Voldemort has returned.

**AN: Ok, this is an idea that randomly struck me this morning that I just had to write? Thoughts? Concrit is welcome and appreciated.**


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